Door opening apparatus



M y 1953v c. A. KOENIIG'ETAL DOOR OPENING APPARATUS SShets-Shet 1 Filed June 28, 1945 l-bnw'j A ORNEYS v A M K 3 Sheatsa'Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS May 12, 1953 c. A'. KOENIG arm. DOOR 0mm APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1945 NR W I 3 b L 1 P z a x u Q .1 x w Q Q H -.m .A A A. N \A .M

M y 12, 1953 c. A. KOENIGY EI'AL 2,638,340

DOOR OPENING m PARArus 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 28, 1945 IIIIII IIIIIIIII/ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I i I I 4 I c. ALLEN INVENTORS KOENIG ALBERT E WEIGELE ATTORNEYS 'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.

Patented May 12, 1953 DGOR OPENING APPARATUS Christian Allen Koenig, Brooklyn, N. Y., and Albert E. Weigele, Newark, N. J., assignors'to National Pneumatic Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of West Virginia Application June 28, 1945, Serial No. 602,040

The present invention relates to door opening apparatus and particularly to such apparatus which is adapted for use in connection with vehicles such as Pullman cars and the like.

i More particularly still, the invention is applied to a sliding door which is automatically opened upon operation of 'a push plate, located in the door frame, and which is retained in its open position during the interval while aperson is standing upon a foot treadle located in front of the door.

Further, the door opening mechanismis so constructed as to close the door immediately when the foot treadle has no weight upon it, and isso constructed as to reverse its movement during operation to opening position if the treadle' is depressed or the leading edge of the door is restrained during its closing movement.

'While' in the following description the power source is mentioned as a pneumatic door engine, it will be understood that other forms'of power, as, for example, an electric motor, may be substituted.

It is an object of the invention to, provide a door opening apparatus in which the door opening movement is initiated by pressure upon one of two push plates located on either side of the door frame.

It is another object of the invention to provide such an apparatus in which a foot treadle mounted in front of a'door is so connected as to prevent door closing movement while'anyone is standing thereupon. f It is a further object of the invention to provide such an apparatus in which the door closing movement may be interrupted, and the door caused to open, if the door isrestrained during its closing movement.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a key operated latch in the frame, operating with a keeper in the door, whereby the door may be mechanically held closed when desired, this latch being combined with a switch so that the operating circuits of the door are incomplete when the door is locked in its closed position and are complete only upon the unlocking of the door.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear when the following description is considered in connection with the. appended drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of .a door, the upper partof the door frame being broken away to show the operating mechanism therefor;

' Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the door 1 Claim. (Cl. 26839) and door operating mechanism of Figure i, this view being taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the door opening equipment, this view being taken on the line 3-3 of Figure '1; and t Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the electrical wiring and the air connections for the pneumatic door engine.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Figure 1, there is shown therein at Ill the door frame in which the sliding door I! is mounted. The door I I is moved by means of the door opening equipment, generally designated 12, which is mounted above the door within the upper portion of the door frame, and extends into the adjacent wall.

The door opening equipment l2 comprises a mounting plate l3 which is fastened to the door frame in any suitable manner, andon which are in turn mounted the door engine I4, the track I5 and the contact bracket l6. Fixed to the door I l are a plurality of hanger brackets H on which brackets are mounted rollers H! which roll upon the track |5.- Likewise mounted on the brackets I! is an insulating plate 20 on which the two contact bars 2| arein-turn mounted. As is clear- 1y shown in Figure 1 the contact bars 2| are divided into two sections, a right and a left hand section, and as will clearly appear in the following description, the lefthand sections are ineffective in circuit operation and are supplied merely toinsure that the-contact brushes make proper contact with the righthand sections. The contact brushes just mentioned are supported on the bracket l6 and these brushes 22 are spring pressed against the contact bars M by means of the springs 23. v

"Thedoorengine M is of the'well known differential type and has the larger piston area presented to its righthand end and the smaller piston area atits lefthand end. The piston rod 24 extends to the left of the differential engine and is connected to an upwardly extending portion 25 of the lefthand on'e of the door hangers H. The connection just mentioned is effected by means of the yoke 26 fixed to the end'of the piston rod 24 together with a spring 21 which extends from the piston rod to the portion 25 of the hanger 11. As a result of this arrangement; when the door is moving in the closing direction, that is, to the left, as seen in Figure 1, it is moved by the engine through the medium of the spring 21 and may consequently be restrained, with the result that the spring 21 is compressed. Mounted on the yokezliis a'coritact 28 which is positioned 3 V to close against a contact fixed to a bracket 3| mounted on the door hanger l'l. Thus if the door is restrained in its closing movement the spring 21 is compressed and contacts 28 and 30 close to cause circuit operation, later described, to reverse the door movement.

The upwardly extending portion of the left hand hanger I1 is provided with a pair'of adjustable contact operators 32 and 33 which cooperate with the limit switches 34 and 35 to bring about proper circuit operations as will be hereinafter described. The limit switches 34 and 35 are mounted upon the mounting plate l3 and consequently since, as described, all parts. of the operating mechanism are mounted on this plate, the entire mechanism may be installed as a unit. It might be noted at this point that the contacts 30 and 28 are connected to the righthand sections of the contact bars 21 so that the switch formed by these two contacts is operable in any position of the door. I

Mounted in the door frame, at the lefthand side thereof as seen in Figure l, is a door control unit comprising two push plates 36 one located on either side of the door frame together with a key operated latch bar 31 cooperating with a keeper plate 38 mounted in the leading edge of the door. The latch bar 51 has cooperating therewith a pair of contacts 40 which serve to apply current to the control circuits when the door is unlocked. The push plates .36 are conventional and serve to close contacts 4|, as schematically shown in Figure 4, to control the various circuits to be hereinafter described.

As is clearly shown in Figure 2, a foot treadle 42 is placed adjacent the door at one side thereof, this foot treadle being connected in the controlling electric circuits in a manner which will be described in connection with Figure 4. If desirable, a second foot treadle may be located at the other side of the door, but this has not been shown in the drawings since it is contemplated that the device of this invention will be used in a railroad car having no vestibule, and consequently having no place where such a treadle could be placed; The treadle 42 serves to control a contact switch 43 (Figure 4) the function of which will be described hereinafter.

Referring now to Figure 4, the differential door engine I4 is constantly supplied with pressure fluid on the lefthand or small piston area end of the cylinder, this supply being through the pipe 44. In addition, air is supplied through the branch pipe 45 and the magnet valve 46, which valve is of the exhaust type, to the righthand or large piston area end of the engine cylinder. When the magnet valve 46 is energized air is exhausted from the righthand end of the cylin- .der, the branch pipe 45 being then out of communication with the cylinder. When the magnet of the valve 46 is deenergized the vent to atmos phere from the righthand end of the cylinder is closed and pipe 45 is connected to the cylinder. A .further branch 41 of pipe 45 leads to an air switch 48 and serves to connect the various electrical control circuits to the current source only when pressure fluid is supplied to the system. From the above it will be clear that whenever the magnet of valve 46 is energized, a door opening movement occurs, and whenever the magnet of that valve is deenergized, a door closing movement occurs.

The operation of the electrical circuits can bes be described by tracing the sequence of operations occurring when the door s use Assunnng that the door has been locked, the first step in putting the door into use will be to unlock the lock, thereby raising the latch bar 37 away from the keeper 38, freeing the door for movement. At the same time that this is done, the contacts 40 are closed; if it be assumed that air is being supplied to the system, switch 48 will close the circuit through conductors 50 and 51 and the now closed contacts 40 of the lock to conductor 52, from one side of the circuit, here indicated, for reference purposes only, by the plus sign, as the positive.

The circuits are now conditioned for normal operation. If at this time either one of the push plates 36 is operated, the circuit from the conductor 52 will be extended through the closed push plate contact 4! and conductor 53 to the winding of relay 54 and through that winding and over conductor 55 to the negative side of the power source. At the same time current will be supplied from conductor .53 over conductor 55 to the magnet winding of magnet valve 46 and through that winding and over conductor 57 to conductor 55 and thence to the negative terminal of the power source. As a result of this operation, the magnet valve will operate and the door will start its opening movement. Upon the operation of relay 54 the relay immediately locks in its operated position due to completion of a circuit from conductor 52 through conductor 58, limit switch 35, conductor 68, contact 51 of relay 54, and conductors 62 and 53 to the magnet winding and thence to negative terminal of the circuit.

If it be assumed that the person initiating the door operation moves through the door as soon as it is sufiiciently opened, then the treadle 42 and contacts 43 controlled thereby will be without effect, and the door upon completing its opening movement, immediately will begin to close. This results from the fact that as the door reaches the limit of its opening movement, the contact operator 33 will operate the limit switch 35 to break the locking circuit of relay .54 which will r then deenergize, thereby causing deenergization of the magnet of magnet valve 46 and restoration of this Valve to its normal non exhausted position, whereupon door closing movement will be started.

If the person initiating the door opening movement remains on the treadle, or if someone following has stepped on the treadle either during the door opening movement or during the door closing movement, then the door will either remain open or will reverse and again open. This result is brought about by a circuit which is completed from conductor 52 .over conductors 58 and 63, thence through the righthand pair of contacts of limit switch .34, conductor 64, treadle cut-out switch 65, conductor 66, treadle contact switch 43, conductor 6! to conductor 53. results in the same action as the connection of the power source to conductor 53 upon the closure of contacts 4| at the push plates 36, i. e., results in operation of relay 54 and magnet valve 46. before, when the relay 54 operates, it looks in its operated condition owing to the completion of a circuit through the limit switch 35.

Thus the door moves to its open position and immediately reverses if there is no one on the treadle at the time when it reaches its open position; or it remains open until anyone upon the treadle leaves the treadle, at which time, s nc the r lay looking circuit is rok n when the door reaches its open position and the energizing circuit for the relay is broken by the release of the treadle, the door starts to close.

If during the door closing movement a person approaching the door from the far side, that is, the side having no treadle plate, desires to open the door, he may do so by restraining the closing movement thereof. The result of such restraint is to close contacts 28 and 30 in a manner already described, and. if the door is in any position other than substantially fully opened or fully closed at this time, the door will be caused to move to open position. The circuit which brings about this operation leads from conductor 52 over conductors 58 and 63, the lefthand pair of contacts of the limit switch 34, conductor 68, the righthand section of the lower bar 2|, conductor 10, contacts 28 and 30, conductor H, the upper righthand contact bar 2|, conductor 12 and. conductor 61 to conductor 53. As before, application of power to conductor 53 results in completing parallel circuits through relay 54 and the magnet of magnet valve 46, thereby causing operation of the valve 46 and consequent door opening movement. Further, relay 54 is looked through the circuit extending through the contacts of the limit switch 35. Therefore, the door is caused to move to the open position and immediately to reverse upon attaining this position in the same manner as has heretofore been described.

It will be seen that should anyone stand on the treadle or attempt to move the door in a door opening movement when it was fully closed, no action would occur since the circuits to the treadle contacts 43 and to the door edge contacts 28 and 30 would be broken at the contacts of the limit switch 34.

At times it is desirable to retain the door in open position; for this reason a double throw switch 13 is provided, the operation of this switch breaking the circuit to the winding of relay 54 while at the same time completing a circuit from conductor 52 over conductor 14, through the lower of the two switch blades of switch 13, and thence over conductor 15 to conductor 53, and over condoctor 56, through the magnet of valve 46, and conductors 51 and 55 to the negative terminal of the source. This retains the magnet valve energized as long as the switch is operated, and thereby retains the door in its open position.

While we have described a preferred embodiment of our invention it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that it is capable of some variations; and We do not, therefore, desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure as given for the purpose'of illustration, but rather by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a door opening apparatus of-the type described, in combination, a door mounted for movement transversely of the door frame, a differential pneumatic engine for opening and closing said door, a magnet valve of the exhaust type for governing the operation of said engine, electrical control means for said magnet valve, said electrical control means comprising a relay, means comprising a lock switch for conditioning said control primary means for operation, means for energizing said relay and said magnet valve to thereby cause movement of the door to open position, means for locking said relay in response to energization thereof by said primary means, secondary energizing means adjacent said door to reenergize and relock said relay and reenergize said magnet valve to thereby cause movement of the door to door open position, and means for preventing control of the door by said secondary means until after operation of said primary means.

C. ALLEN KOENIG. ALBERT E. WEIGELE References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 505,271 Hicks et a1. Sept. 19, 1883 1,396,757 Hynes Nov. 15, 1921 1,592,368 Hynes July 13, 1926 1,630,667 Myers May 31, 1927 1,642,317 Webb Sept. 13, 1927 1,682,254 Rorabacher Aug. 28, 1928 1,775,849 Cox Sept. 16, 1930 1,828,860 Conklin Oct. 27, 1931 1,877,161 Conklin Sept. 13, 1932 1,943,819 Forman Jan. 16, 1934 2,009,081 Conklin et a1 July 23, 1935 2,034,415 Parvin Mar. 17, 1936 2,173,455 Roby Sept. 19, 1939 2,227,483 Bendz Jan. '7, 1941 2,243,914 Martin et a1 June 3, 1941 2,272,732 Vanderveer et a1. Feb. 10, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 438,620 Great Britain Nov. 20, 1935 

